Christian owners Daniel and Amy McArthur refused to bake it on religious grounds and were taken to court by gay rights activist Gareth Lee.

The cake design Ashers refused to bake (Picture: Pixel8000)

The Ashers store on Royal Avenue in the city centre is set to close because it is not busy enough.

It follows a major fire at a nearby Primark clothing store which has devastated traders in the area.

General manager Daniel McArthur said: ‘It simply comes down to the figures.

‘We decided not to renew the lease.

‘Belfast city centre isn’t busy enough – our other shops are much busier.

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‘It’s been planned for some time and I am pleased to say there will be no job losses.’

Ashers bakery owners Daniel and Amy McArthur outside the Supreme Court in London, where five justices unanimously ruled on Wednesday that they did not discriminate against gay rights activist Gareth Lee on the ground of sexual orientation (Picture: PA)

Gay rights campaigner Gareth Lee speaks to the media outside the Supreme Court after hearing that Bakery owners Amy and Daniel McArthur had won their appeal against him (Picture: Getty)

A legal action was originally brought by Gareth Lee, who claimed he had been discriminated against.

Mr Lee initially won his case in the county court and then at the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal, but the McArthurs then challenged those rulings at a Supreme Court hearing in Belfast in May.

The massive fire at the Primark store in Belfast city centre destroyed the listed building.

Ashers bakery on Royal Avenue in Belfast (Picture: PA)

A safety cordon around it has been established while engineers carry out inspections.

That has had a major impact on trade, with the main thoroughfare of the city centre blocked to pedestrian and motorised traffic.

Extra funding and support has been put in place for businesses affected.